「015. dreams of golden bullshit 」

BARBIE ALLEN was sick of being cooped up on the ship. after they'd arrived at the pillars of hercules, she'd felt the urge to just be able to get on some sort of land. she hadn't stepped foot on actual dirt and ground and it was starting to get to her. she'd seen a shift in percy as they came closer to greece, he was more on edge- scared. she could sense it, but wasn't exactly sure how to bring it up. of course, there was also jerald (yes, no sign of her yet) and annabeth. ever since charleston, she'd hardly left her cabin. whenever she went by to see her, she was so lost in thought that conversations could hardly be called as such.

she might say something like, "hey, we're having dinner soon."

and annabeth would say something like, "shut up- no way."

perhaps if barbie said something like, "annabeth, get some sleep."

she might respond with, "the idea for the tapestry sounds amazing, barb."

or, she might say, "so- i set fire to the argo ii."

and annabeth would simply hum and respond with, "that's nice."

after about midnight, she gave it a rest and decided perhaps it was time for some sleep. her eyes were droopy as she stumbled into her cabin and did her little nightly routine of skincare and whatnot before she hastily got changed into her pajamas and jumped into her bed as quickly as she could. which was to say, barbie desperately wanted sleep- and hoped that perhaps when she did wake up they'd all be in rome and she might finally be able to do something.

she was itching to just use her powers for something that wasn't... sewing or helping around. of course- she could use her sword. but sometimes she felt when she did use it that she wasn't good enough. she had doubts that maybe she'd just screw up and she'd accidently miss or impale somebody she wasn't meant to. she felt more sure of her powers, which is why she was growing more and more thankful she had them back and stronger than ever.

the training wheels her mom had talked about had really come off. with a simple flick of her finger she could summon a dozen daggers alone. it felt good to be sure of herself in something. it felt nice to know she wasn't like she was. before, even before she lost percy- people had questioned her. when she went on her first quest, she was just learning. she was learning about all her weird new powers (and the terrible mix-up that happened too). yet when she came back and properly used her powers, there was no question.

she was strong, and she'd proven them wrong about just being another aphrodite kid. she'd shown them just how strong she was. and she was thankful for that.

even when percy went missing, and she lost most of her control over her powers, people had wondered. but she'd shown them wrong all over again.  when everything around her crumbled, at least she had jerald.

barbie was placing bets about how long into her sleep she would suddenly be pulled into a demigod dream. she was betting the minute she closed her eyes. she was wrong. well... sort of. she still did have a dream- but no demigod dreams immediately. which did surprised her. however her dream... if you would even call it a dream, was weird.

it was a dark spotlight all over again. at first, she thought it was her good old friend mr boogeyman the nightmare guy. but the moment she heard a familiar voice, she immediately thought otherwise. because she was definitely sure that mr boogeyman sounded anything like jerald.

"barbie?" came jeralds voice. it wasn't in her head anymore. and barbie swore as she squinted slightly she could make out the figure of a person.

"jerald?" barbie responded, "holy shit- dude is that you? can you come towards the light! do you even have a face?"

"of course i do," huffed jerald, "but... uh... perhaps not the whole face thing yet."

"awe, jerald are you nervous?" barbie wondered, "you know you don't have to be. i'm sure you're gorgeous."

"not the point," jerald spoke, "look- i don't actually know how long i have. i bribed big money to hypnos for this-"

"you bribed a god?"

"'course i did," shrugged jerald, or at least barbie thought she was shrugging. she couldn't exactly see jerald, but by the sound of her voice, that's what barbie guessed she was doing.

"so what... exactly did you bribe hypnos to talk about with me?" she began uneasily, "is it something bad? ... are you dying?"

"dude i'm already dead," jerald spoke in a deadpan tone, "do you not remember what lady aphrodite said? i'm a spirit from the underworld combined with powers, bestowed to you as a gift from lady aphrodite."

"so you were... a person?" barbie spoke, "like... living, breathing, flesh and blood?"

"that is the general basics of a human."

"gee jerald, no need to be so sarcastic with me," grumbled barbie, "so you bribed a god to tell me you used to be alive?"

"no... not really," jerald spoke, "look. i haven't been totally honest for the past few days or so. i can't exactly tell you much. not really. i can tell you some things- but at a later date. but i need you to hear what i'm about to say."

"okay...?" barbie spoke, "jerald you're kinda scaring me..."

"we can get back to that," jerald spoke in a rushed tone, "the point is that the whole mark of athena thing is serious. like- look- i'm hoping it doesn't come to it. but, dude i should've warned you earlier. the mark of athena... it's- barbie do you know what tartarus is?"

"of course i do," she nodded, "it's where all the monsters and stuff go."

"yeah... well- look all i'm saying is... should anything happen- the gift of aphrodite may go into self-preservation mode and sorta... glitch out." jerals spoke, "you won't have lost them! but you just... won't be able to use them."

"...okay?" barbie spoke, "but why would i be worried about that? tartarus is far away... you'd have to dig real deep to even find it." she narrowed her eyes, "jerald."

"yes?"

"you said you were like... alive before, right?" barbie spoke.

"...yes."

"i'm guessing you've been dead for a while. right?" there was silence, so barbie took it as a yes, "so who were you exactly? i mean... are you a famous hero or something? do you have a real name? i mean-"

the world around her glitched, and she saw something behind it, but before she could think about exactly what it was, the scenery came back, and she saw jerald walk closer, almost in the light, saying the words, "i... i did. i was alive before. but barbie, nobody knew me. i... i'm not a hero. i was just a normal person," she said it with a bitter tone, which barbie had never heard from jerald before. "but my name? i don't think it would hurt to share it. my name is-"

and then the dream shifted.

barbie hated demigod dreams.

the dream was more of a nightmare really. she dreamed she was in a dark cavern. she could only see a few feet in front of her, but the space must have been vast. water dripped from somewhere nearby, and the sound echoed off distant walls. the way the air moved made barbie suspect the cave's ceiling was far, far above. she heard heavy footsteps, and the twin giants ephialtes and otis shuffled out of the gloom.

barbie could distinguish them only by their hair— ephialtes had the green locks braided with silver and gold coins; otis had the purple ponytail braided with...were those firecrackers? otherwise they were dressed identically, and their outfits definitely belonged in a nightmare. she wished she could genuinely burn her eyes.

they wore matching white slacks and gold buccaneer shirts with v-necks that showed way too much chest hair. a dozen sheathed daggers lined their rhinestone belts. their shoes were open-toed sandals, proving that—yes, indeed—they had snakes for feet. the straps wrapped around the serpents' necks. their heads curled up where the toes should be. the snakes flicked their tongues excitedly and turned their gold eyes in every direction, like dogs looking out the window of a car. maybe it had been a long time since they'd had shoes with a view. the giants stood in front of barbie, but they paid her no attention. instead, they gazed up into the darkness.

"we're here," ephialtes announced. despite his booming voice, his words dissipated in the cavern, echoing until they sounded small and insignificant.

far above, something answered, "yes. i can see that. those outfits are hard to miss."

the voice made barbie's stomach drop about six inches. it sounded vaguely female, but not at all human. each word was a garbled hiss in multiple tones, as if a swarm of african killer bees had learned to speak english in unison. it wasn't gaea. barbie was sure of that. but whatever it was, the twin giants became nervous.

they shifted on their snakes and bobbed their heads respectfully. "of course, your ladyship," ephialtes said. "we bring news of—"

"why are you dressed like that?" asked the thing in the dark. she didn't seem to be coming any closer, which was fine with percy.

ephialtes shot his brother an irritated look. "my brother was supposed to wear something different. unfortunately—"

"you said i was the knife thrower today," otis protested.

"i said i was the knife thrower! you were supposed to be the magician! ah, forgive me, your ladyship. you don't want to hear us arguing. we came as you requested, to bring you news. the ship is approaching."

her ladyship, whatever she was, made a series of violent hisses like a tire being slashed repeatedly. with a shudder, barbie realized she was laughing.

"how long?" she asked.

"they should land in rome shortly after daybreak, i think," ephialtes said. "of course, they'll have to get past the golden boy." he sneered, as if the golden boy was not his favorite person.

"i hope they arrive safely," her ladyship said. "it would spoil our fun to have them captured too soon. are your preparations made?"

"yes, your ladyship." otis stepped forward, and the cavern trembled. a crack appeared under otis's left snake.

"careful, you dolt!" her ladyship snarled. "do you want to return to tartarus the hard way?"

otis scrambled back, his face slack with terror.

"there is little left holding this place together," her ladyship cautioned. "except, of course, my own skill. centuries of athena's rage can only be contained so well, and the great earth mother churns below us in her sleep. between those two forces, well...my nest has quite eroded. we must hope this child of athena proves to be a worthy victim. she may be my last plaything."

ephialtes gulped. he kept his eyes on the crack in the floor. "soon it will not matter, your ladyship. gaea will rise, and we all will be rewarded. you will no longer have to guard this place, or keep your works hidden."

"perhaps," said the voice in the dark. "but i will miss the sweetness of my revenge. we have worked well together over the centuries, have we not?"

the twins bowed. the coins glittered in ephialtes's hair, and barbie realized with nauseating certainty that some of them were silver drachma, exactly like the one annabeth had gotten from her mom. annabeth had told him that in each generation, a few children of athena were sent on the quest to recover the missing parthenon statue.

none had ever succeeded.

we have worked well together over the centuries.... the giant ephialtes had centuries' worth of coins in his braids—hundreds of trophies. barbie pictured annabeth standing in this dark place alone. she imagined the giant taking that coin she carried and adding it to his collection. she wanted to scream, perhaps stab the giant. or whoever this 'ladyship' was. but, she could only watch.

"uh, your ladyship," ephialtes said nervously. "i would remind you that gaea wishes the girl to be taken alive. you can torment her. drive her insane. whatever you wish, of course. if her friends do come- you mustn't hurt the child of aphrodite. the red one."

her?

her ladyship hissed. "others could be used for that purpose. even the athena spawn."

"y-yes," ephialtes said. "but she is one the earth mother wishes for. and the boy—the son of poseidon. you can see why those two would be most suited for the task."

"we will see," her ladyship grumbled. "leave me now. tend to your own preparations. you will have your spectacle. and i...i will work in darkness."

the dream dissolved, and almost immediately barbie knew what she had to do. she had to find annabeth.

barbie didn't care for the curfew at the given moment. she stormed into annabeth's room, dressed for the day. a pink dress made with the prettiest pink fabric barbie had been gifted flowed down to somewhere past her knees and ruffled just slightly at the end. the neckline was a square one, and to add to the whole appeal, it was dotted with fake buttons (there was a string up sort of thing at the back which barbie implemented that did work) with straps made of silk she'd tied into bows. to give her some sort of edge, or perhaps just some height and comfort, she'd sported her old black heeled combat boots with pink laces.

she might've just had a nightmare, but she wasn't going to let that show. she'd even adopted what she called 'drew-liner' which was to say, she had a pastel pink eyeliner on, and pretty gold gems in the outer corners of her eyes.

in all fairness, it was the first time they'd be stepping on land for ages. she at least wanted to look nice.

she glared at annabeth, "get up. now."

when they appeared above deck, barbie noticed percy coming over to the two of them immediately. they all stood at the deck, alone except for leo, who was still manning the helm. he looked ready to break,  and he was shaking with what barbie assumed to be maybe a liter of coffee letting him stay awake.

"i don't want any more shrimpzilla surprises," he insisted.

barbie sighed, her eyes flickering away as percy, annabeth and herself stood together. just like they had before when they were younger. before kronos, when they were just four or five friends (except cherry was fast asleep and val was back at camp). barbie was itching to tell annabeth about the dream- but she didn't even need to. it seemed both her and percy had shared a dream of sorts.

"you had it too?" he spoke, looking at her like he was absolutely mesmerised.

"yeah.." nodded barbie, "it was... something. that's for sure."

annabeth peered into the fog. "percy, barbie. you guys have to promise me something. don't tell the others about this dream."

"don't what? annabeth—"

"what you saw was about the mark of athena," she said. "it won't help the others to know. it'll only make them worry, and it'll make it harder for me to go off on my own. i don't... i don't want to worry anybody," she spoke, before sighing, "i spoke to val last night after we were up in the air. camps.. okay. he wouldn't give much detail. he still hates that he's acting cabin councillor. but..." she blinked, and barbie noticed just how emotional she was getting, and put an arm around annabeth, "he looked so worried. i didn't have the heart to tell him i might, you know-"

die.

"-that's why i can't tell anybody." annabeth said, a hard look on her face as she wiped her eyes, her pretty grey tank top with white daisies looking lovely with her jeans barbie had made for her, "that's why i can't let you guys tell anybody. he looked so scared- even without me telling him about the true risks."

"but annabeth," percy frowned, "this... that thing in the dark, the big chamber with the crumbling floor-"

"i know," she spoke, looking unnaturally pale, "but i have to do this alone."

"but bethy," whispered barbie, "you... you can't- we're menna do things together," she grasped percy and annabeth's hands, bringing them close to her chest, "we always do. the labyrinth..." she trailed off, remembering bitterly that percy didn't have a single clue what she was talking about, "the point is. that... annabeth we want you to be safe. or at least try to be."

"you know what's in that cavern," percy guessed. "does it have to do with spiders?"

"yes," she said in a small voice.

barbie frowned, "then how can you even...?"

she made herself stop. annabeth was stubborn, she knew that. arguing with her wouldn't do her good- she'd tried that before and the aftermath was a lot of crying and the two of them trying to take the blame when it was equally both their problem.

but she didn't want to loose annabeth. not after percy. barbie knows percy is still technically here, but he didn't remember her. he might have some sort of attraction and liking towards her, but he didn't know why. he didn't understand why. he didn't know the stupid hatred that built up to friendship, petty and stressful arguments between them during the build up to the final battle. he didn't know of the shy and awkward moments in between them dating and being friends. he had no recollection of what made them start dating. stories weren't enough. percy was right when he'd said that. he needed to experience it. and it's not like she could really reenact all the hatred and petty arguments.

unconsciously, she'd let go of both of her friends hand's as she continued to think, regretting it as she saw the worry and panic return to annabeth and the fear inch up percy's face.

"we're not far from the italian coast," percy said, mostly to break the silence. "maybe a hundred nautical miles to the mouth of the tiber."

"sounds nice," barbie spoke, "finally being able to walk on actual dirt and stuff."

"good," annabeth said. "by daybreak, we should—"

"stop." percy's skin felt washed with ice. "we have to stop."

"why?" annabeth asked.

"leo, stop!" he yelled.

barbie had no idea why he had sounded so urgent until a boat appeared out of the fog and rammed them head-on. in that split second, barbie registered random details: another trireme; black sails painted with a gorgon's head; hulking warriors, not quite human, crowded at the front of the boat in greek armor, swords and spears ready; and a bronze ram at water level, slamming against the hull of the argo ii.

the three of them were almost thrown overboard.

festus blew fire, sending a dozen very surprised warriors screaming and diving into the sea, but more swarmed aboard the argo ii. grappling lines wrapped around the rails and the mast, digging iron claws into the hull's planks.

by the time she'd had recovered her wits, the enemy was everywhere. she couldn't see well through the fog and the dark, but the invaders seemed to be human like dolphins, or dolphins like humans. some had gray snouts. others held their swords in stunted flippers. some waddled on legs partially fused together, while others had flippers for feet, which reminded her of those dreadful looking clown shoes.

leo sounded the alarm bell. he made a dash for the nearest ballista but went down under a pile of chattering dolphin warriors.

barbie, annabeth and percy stood back-to-back, as they'd done many times before, their weapons drawn (or in barbie's case, two bright spheres of mist ready to obliterate the intruders).

sadly, they were hopelessly outnumbered. several dozen warriors lowered their spears and made a ring around them, wisely keeping out of striking distance of percy's sword. the dolphin-men opened their snouts and made whistling, popping noises. barbie had never considered just how vicious dolphin teeth looked.

at least the warriors didn't seem interested in killing them immediately. they kept the three of them contained while more of their comrades flooded belowdecks and secured the hull. barbie could hear them breaking down the cabin doors, scuffling with his friends.

even if the other demigods hadn't been fast asleep, they wouldn't have stood a chance against so many.

leo was dragged across the deck, half-conscious and groaning, and dumped on a pile of ropes. below, the sounds of fighting tapered off. either the others had been subdued or...or barbie refused to think about it. on one side of the ring of spears, the dolphin warriors parted to let someone through.

he appeared to be fully human, but from the way the dolphins fell back before him, he was clearly the leader. he was dressed in greek combat armor—sandals, kilt, and greaves, a breastplate decorated with elaborate sea monster designs—and everything he wore was gold. even his sword, a greek blade like riptide, was gold instead of bronze.

the golden boy, barbie thought, remembering her dream. they'll have to get past the golden boy.

"who are you?" percy demanded.

"what do you want?" yelled barbie.

the golden warrior chuckled. with a flick of his blade, faster than percy could follow, he smacked riptide out of percy's hand and sent it flying into the sea. barbie barely saw it, blinking only to see a blur of percy's sword go overboard.

"hello, brother." the golden warrior's voice was rich and velvety, with an exotic accent—middle eastern, maybe. "always happy to rob a fellow son of poseidon. i am chrysaor, the golden sword. as for what i want..." he turned his metal mask toward her. "well, that's easy. i want everything you have."

rosie speaks!

i'm so excited you don't
even know i can't wait for
like the next. few chapters
i'm so pumped and excited !!
i especially cant wait for the
epilogue because i'm just so
fucking ecstatic you don't know.

nyways i think i've crashed
google chrome several times
so far so that's really fun.

thoughts and theories ?? hc ??

word count: 3,766 words